Toaster

Toaster

A small electric home appliance that is used to expose bread to radiant heat so it becomes toast. It took a while for toasters to be made as there was no metal that could conduct electricity without falling apart. This issue was resolved by Albert Marsh when he created the alloy nichrome. The first commercially successful toaster was from General Electric in 1909, called the GE model D-12. Later years saw dual side toasting and the pop-up innovation come to.

A toaster toasts the bread based on a timer and the higher the number on the timer the browner the toasts become. Once done the toaster pops the toats up making it easier to take them out of the slots.

Types of toasters

There are three main types of toasters. The first is the common toaster, the second is a toaster oven and the third is a conveyor toaster. The common toaster can have space for two slices or four slices, the latter is often used in smaller commercial kitchens to pace things up. In some cases, the toaster is longer and can compensate two slices in each slot. These toasters can be made from a plastic shell or even metal. There are a few models that have a pop-up mini-grill onto which one can place a croissant to heat as well.

Toaster ovens are essentially mini ovens that are powered by an electric heating element. The bread is placed onto the grill that lies horizontally inside the toaster. They generally have heating elements on top and the bottom as well. Because the heating element is farther in this situation, toaster ovens take longer for toasts, which can be a disadvantage. Though toaster ovens can be used for many other foods as well, which is an advantage.

The conveyor toaster is used in larger kitchens or messes where a large number of toasts are needed. The doneness settings also decide how fast or slow the conveyor runs, thus affecting how brown the bread comes out.

Cleaning a toaster

Most toasters have a lower portion that opens up so all the crumbs that have collected can be taken out with ease.

For toaster ovens one can find sprays that when heated remove all the layered dirt, but these chemicals are unhealthy and one would be better off using a cloth with warm water to wipe it down.

Comments

Toasters use a large amount of electricity and therefore can be dangerous. Poking objects into the toaster to take out broken pieces of bread is dangerous.

There are many brands that make toasters, the known ones include Philips, Delonghi, Breville, Braun, Black & Decker, Moulinex and many more. The most retro toaster is the Dualit Classic Toaster and was a kitchen must-have for decades. It is still hand-built, with many different colours over the years having been released.

The price of a toaster depends on the type, features and brand. Prices range from the lower end to a mid-range.